Universities without walls

A vision for 2030

February 2021
Table of content

Foreword  3

Challenges and trends 4

Universities in 2030 5
Open, transformative and transnational  5
Sustainable, diverse and engaged 6
Strong, autonomous and accountable  7

University missions in 2030

7
Learning and teaching 7
Research8
Innovation9
Culture9

TURNING THIS VISION INTO REALITY 10

Factors for success 10

Enabling frameworks 10
Adequate investments 11
Strong leadership 11

Priorities for action 11

Reform academic careers  12
Promote interdisciplinarity 12
Strengthen civic engagement 12
Foreword
The principal role of a university leader is to ensure that the institution has a fit-for-purpose strategic
plan and that it is implemented effectively. Never has this responsibility been more important, nor
more challenging. Our evolution into “knowledge societies” has placed universities at the epicentre of
human creativity and learning, critical to our planet surviving and thriving. Meanwhile, the forces acting
on universities have grown in complexity and accelerate continuously. Stakeholders that institutions
serve and rely on to enable their success expand continuously in number and diversity, and have more
expectations.

Every institution’s strategic plan must begin with a vision of what it aspires to be, what it must
become, to discharge its mission in society. That vision relies on extensive horizon scanning, much
guesswork and a lot of consultation. “Universities without Walls” is offered as a support, to guide
university leaders and their academic communities in their institutional planning. It is a distillation of
the views of many experts and stakeholders on how Europe’s universities might best serve society in
the coming years.

Why a ten-year vision now? Firstly, there is a growing sense of being at a tipping point, a time of
transformation driven by multiple economic, political and environmental pressures. Secondly, the
ongoing pandemic adds to the urgency of addressing what the future for our societies and our planet
should and will be. Thirdly, there are exciting developments in the framework conditions for our sector
at the European level with the emerging European Education Area and the revitalised European
Research Area seeking to shape a common political direction.

There is a need for a clear vision for and by universities, how they want to develop, shape and respond
to these challenges over this decade. While this guide is aimed at providing inspiration and support for
Europe’s universities, it is also an invitation to partners from other parts of society to join forces for a
better future and for policy makers to ensure the right framework conditions. It is not a crisis response;
our sector is strong and dynamic. We are looking forward in order to reflect and to do things better.
Key to success will be universities that are open, enforcing the vision of universities without walls,
engaging deeply with other parts of society while firmly rooted in their values.

We would like to warmly thank all those who contributed to the development of this vision; more
than 100 experts from within our membership, the EUA Board, the 33 national rectors’ conferences
that are members of EUA, and a wide range of external and non-university stakeholders provided
invaluable advice and input. We are extremely grateful to them all. We are also grateful to staff at EUA,
particularly Thomas Jørgensen and Anna-Lena Claeys-Kulik who managed this process, successfully
distilling numerous conversations and contributions and shaping the document.

This vision builds on EUA’s work with its members over the last 20 years. It was endorsed by all national
rectors’ conferences at the EUA Council on 29 January 2021.

We commend it to you.

Michael Murphy, EUA President Amanda Crowfoot, EUA Secretary General

Universities without walls a vision for 2030

Challenges and trends

Europe and the world are facing immense challenges; finding a sustainable equilibrium between
ecological, economic and social concerns, the digital transition and major political developments will
be some of the main drivers of change for the new decade.

Europe’s universities are keen to live up to these challenges. They are enduring institutions that have
existed for a millennium, expanding the frontiers of knowledge, educating citizens and driving societal
change.

The next ten years will be a brief moment in this history but given the challenges ahead it will be a
critical decade, requiring significant change beyond the continuum. The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing
economic and social crisis, with which the decade has started, will cast a shadow over the coming years
but will also present opportunities for innovation in Europe’s universities.

Many of the developments are already underway. While the situations and profiles of universities
across Europe vary and are very much shaped by their specific local, regional and national contexts,
some overall external trends can be observed:

• The climate crisis in particular and sustainability more broadly are urgent issues. This has led many
universities to put their missions in education, research, innovation and culture into the service of
achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Technological developments are changing lives and disrupting labour markets. Universities
produce knowledge for new technologies and social innovation. The development and promotion
of such innovation is a central element of their activities. Universities also ensure that the impact
of new technologies on our societies is studied and evaluated and that graduates are equipped for
labour markets that are changing due to digitalisation and new technologies, in particular artificial
intelligence. These will also change the way universities and their partners work.

• Democracy and political systems are under pressure in all European countries to different degrees.
This is due to the radicalisation of parts of society that question democratic values, including
freedom of expression. This also threatens academic freedom and university autonomy, which are
the basis for the scientific endeavour that drives societal progress.

• There is an erosion of the public debate through misinformation. The spread of false information,
fabricated evidence and the concept of “alternative truth” undermine the value of evidence and the
role of science in society. Universities need to position themselves on this issue and find new and
more effective ways to help counter this trend.

• The world order is changing and research, innovation and education are an increasingly important
factor in geopolitics. Europe’s universities must share and co-create knowledge on a global scale
against a backdrop of foreign interference, security threats and political worries about Europe’s
technological and strategic autonomy. This requires Europe’s universities to make a delicate
assessment of collaborations based on their academic values.

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• Persisting social disparities and demographic changes in many European countries put social
systems under pressure. Higher education continues to be a major motor for socio-economic mobility.
This makes lifelong learning, access, equity and inclusion key concerns for Europe’s universities,
which provide education for half of each cohort of young people graduating from secondary school,
as well as for all those who return to university later in life. This makes it necessary to provide for
the needs of a more diverse student population.

• Many universities face a continuous underfunding challenge. Funding does not always follow the
expansion of, and changes in, provision, and there are big differences across Europe. This leads to
an uneven playing field and to increased competition between universities for resources. These
differences, reinforced by the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, are likely to mark
this decade.

• The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated change. This is leading to a rapid expansion in digital
provision and research capacity to solve major societal challenges. This is likely to have a long-
lasting impact in the future. The knowledge base built by curiosity-driven basic research has been
the foundation of a quick response to the challenge and should be preserved in order to prepare for
future challenges.

Universities in 2030
When looking to the future, we envision universities without walls; these are universities that are
open and engaged in society while retaining their core values. All of Europe’s universities will be
responsible, autonomous and free, with different institutional profiles, but united in their missions
of learning and teaching, research, innovation and culture in service to society.

In this decade, universities will build on their capacity to evolve and will become engines of societal
change. They will provide an open, transformative space for common knowledge production through
research, education, innovation and culture. Together with other societal stakeholders, they will shape
the future of a knowledge-driven society.

OPEN, TRANSFORMATIVE AND TRANSNATIONAL

Universities are communities of learners, academics and professional staff with open boundaries,
including alumni and a wide range of partners and citizens. They will continue to be characterised
by being cooperative and networked institutions locally, nationally and internationally. As such, they
continue to build bridges between countries, cultures and sectors.

On the one hand, universities are places of respite and refuge to test new ideas, for lateral thinking
and for creating new knowledge that still lies outside of mainstream awareness. On the other hand,
knowledge production can benefit from a dialogue with society, actively involving citizens and non-
academic partners such as business, non-governmental organisations, public authorities and others
that share objectives with the university. Both areas will remain fundamental for the universities’
service to society.

The nature and structure of universities will be hybrid. They will be open as physical and virtual spaces
and will work to cultivate both of these when engaging with society. In the future, this will entail
that physical and digital learning and research environments must be designed in a holistic way
to accommodate the different needs of a diverse university community and allow for flexible and

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Universities without walls a vision for 2030

blended approaches. The physical campus will continue to be crucial as a place for social interaction
and dialogue: a place that will host encounters that challenge and inspire, but will also offer quiet
spaces for focused learning and research. The virtual campus will make the university ubiquitous. It
will be developed to improve access for all to participate in research and learning, enhance cooperation,
and explore new, innovative ways of pursuing university missions.

The future of Europe’s universities will be transnational. International cooperation will continue to
provide a prerequisite for high quality research and innovation, as well as learning and teaching.
Universities are showcases for peaceful and constructive European and international cooperation.
They also nurture a positive and reflective attitude towards a European identity, in addition to global,
national and regional ones, and will do so in the future.

SUSTAINABLE, DIVERSE AND ENGAGED

Sustainability is the most significant global challenge. The UN Sustainable Development Goals provide
a holistic agenda addressing this challenge by balancing economic, social and environmental needs.

Sustainable development will be the main framework for driving impact through university missions,
as universities proactively reflect upon, find and promote solutions in dialogue with society.

Universities will put their missions into the service of sustainability, evaluating and being accountable
for the appropriate adjustment of principles and values, as well as policies and activities. This will
require a careful balance between funding of strategic research priorities, retaining the freedom of the
individual researchers and recognising the responsibility of universities in ensuring a broad knowledge
base for society through curiosity-driven research. Providing the skills and the knowledge needed for
sustainable development and practices will be a key task in relation to university learning and teaching.

Interdisciplinarity is an important approach based on a proficient command of disciplinary research.

Many new discoveries will happen at the interface between disciplines and will be crucial for meeting
the challenges.

Diversity and social cohesion are important components of sustainable development. Universities will
provide a scientific mindset and opportunities to people from different backgrounds and reflect the
diversity of society. Access to higher education will be equitable and open to all who qualify. Universities
will be equipped to welcome students and staff from all backgrounds. Through this, universities will
play an important role in addressing social disparities that have been exacerbated by the Covid-19
pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. This will be a crucial element in Europe’s recovery.

Universities and their missions will widely benefit from equity and inclusion, and it is therefore in their
core interest to promote these values in society. Learning and research environments will be designed
to accommodate the needs of a diverse student and staff body. Students and staff will be equipped to
work in diverse environments.

Affirming the civic role of universities will be an increasingly important part of societal engagement.
Universities will remain supporters of pluralistic and democratic societies founded on open and
evidence-based public debate. They will continue to uphold these values throughout all their missions
and activities.

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Universities will keep working in partnerships in order to connect, share and build capacity. They will
form an inclusive, truly global research and higher education community with partners all around
the world, promoting capacity building and equitable brain circulation. Together with a broad range
of partners, they will aim to offer high quality teaching and research and contribute to expanding
knowledge for all.

STRONG, AUTONOMOUS AND ACCOUNTABLE

In 2030, universities across Europe will enjoy high levels of autonomy and have the capacity to make
strategic choices about organisational, financial, staffing and academic matters. The university
community, including all types of learners and staff, will co-create the future of the university together
with the institutional leadership. Internal university governance will guarantee adequate representation
of all groups within the university community, while ensuring efficient decision-making processes.

Universities are accountable to stakeholders and society at large. Accountability will be ensured through
appropriate governance and continuous exchange with policy makers, civil society, citizens, business
and industry and other societal groups, through various university activities. External stakeholders
in university governing bodies will support such a dialogue. Generally, universities will communicate
proactively and will engage in a continuous debate about their role and function in society, as a part of
being accountable to society at large.

All universities will strive for continuous improvement of their activities in all missions in order to
deliver high quality in service to society. Internal quality assurance will remain a key task for institutions
in all their missions. External quality assurance will support them in this task.

Universities will uphold academic freedom, which is the freedom of thought and inquiry for the
academic community to advance knowledge and the freedom to communicate this knowledge based
on accepted standards of academic ethics and integrity. Universities will engage in dialogue with the
rest of society. They will work with the communities around them, participate in public debates and
address major societal challenges.

Professional staff will continue to play a key role in the development of universities. They will
ensure the quality of various tasks, from diversity management to curating data and maintaining
infrastructure. Universities will ensure that all staff groups have access to continuous training for
professional development. They will aim to be attractive working places for all.

University missions in 2030

The unique combination of the missions of learning and teaching, research, innovation and culture
– and their fruitful interrelations – will remain the key characteristic of Europe’s universities. These
missions will be equally important and mutually enhancing, and an integrated approach will be
beneficial to harnessing synergies. Through these missions universities will support Europe’s open,
pluralistic and democratic societies.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

The higher education learning experience will nurture and enable the development of learners as
creative and critical thinkers, problem solvers and active and responsible citizens equipped for lifelong
learning. It will kindle curiosity and creativity and support personal development through familiarity

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Universities without walls a vision for 2030

with the scientific method and the traditions of human knowledge and commitment to evidence-based
discourse. Through higher education, learners will also attain high-level skills and expertise, including
entrepreneurial skills, for their professional development. They will be able to apply knowledge in a
reflective manner and critically produce new knowledge. Studying will be better connected with training
and learners will have more opportunities to participate in traineeship programmes during their
studies. Learners will graduate with both knowledge in their disciplines and exposure to challenges
and problem-solving, including in other disciplines. They will also have experience in working with non-
university partners towards positively impacting the society around them.

University learning and teaching will be learner centred. It will be a collegial and collaborative process
that involves the entire university community, as well as external partners. Teaching will be a core part
of academic practice, closely linked to research activities and respected as scholarly and professional.

Universities will provide a context for learning through the integration of their different missions and
they will actively promote lifelong learning. While digitalisation will continue to expand, and digitally
enhanced provision will be integrated in university education, physical presence on campus will remain
a core feature at most institutions.

Learners’ goals and needs will be diversified; some will seek personal development and a degree after
finishing secondary education, while others will enter at different stages in their lives and for different
purposes. They will have access to a variety of learning spaces and flexible, multi- and interdisciplinary
paths that ensure that their learning is at the centre of the process.

RESEARCH

Universities will be essential to the research process and will be strong drivers in this endeavour,
collaborating with a variety of different partners. Universities will continue to expand the frontiers
of knowledge in order to better understand the physical universe and the human condition. While
fundamental, curiosity-driven research will be a precondition for knowledge-based solutions, it will
also be fully recognised as an end in itself. Universities will provide space for lateral thinkers, who test
and develop new ideas that are not yet acknowledged by fellow researchers or by society at large.

Universities will facilitate dialogue across disciplines and promote multi- and interdisciplinary research.

Open Science, making research accessible to all, will be the default way of producing knowledge.
Universities will support a diverse non-commercial publishing system and will, themselves, be directly
involved in such a system, by promoting and supporting non-commercial and smaller publishing
initiatives. Data and other outputs resulting from research will be made FAIR (Findable, Accessible,
Interoperable, Reusable). Scientists will be adequately rewarded for the processing and publishing
of data. Europe’s scholarly information infrastructure will facilitate cross-border, multidisciplinary
research with advanced digital services and tools.

Ethics and integrity are an integral part of academic research and universities will actively promote
them across all missions, through the education of students and training of early-stage researchers, as
well as a culture of academic self-discipline. Furthermore, universities will maintain the responsibility
of delivering doctoral education and ensuring the formation of the next generation of highly qualified
researchers.

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INNOVATION

Europe’s universities will make human-centred innovation their trademark, aiming to achieve
sustainability through cooperative models. They will engage in co-creation of solutions with a wide
range of partners and with the purpose of meeting common challenges and making a demonstrable
difference to society through technological as well as social innovation. As such, universities will play a
leading role in innovation ecosystems. They will bring together stakeholders around a common vision,
bridging different cultures spanning from academia, business and start-ups, to civil society and the
social and cultural scene. They will also reinforce their contribution to the development of knowledge
and skills together with partners in the ecosystem.

Academic research and education will be a key foundation for innovation and academics, as well as
higher education students and learners, will be active contributors to innovation by working on concrete
challenges in multi- and interdisciplinary teams. Universities will enable and support innovation across
the other missions by promoting an entrepreneurial spirit in its widest sense.

CULTURE

Universities will continue to make an important contribution to culture, the interpretation of society
and the human condition. They will be places where culture is created, performed, exhibited, spread
and discussed. Artistic and cultural activities will remain a key element in universities’ engagement
with society.

Universities will be critical custodians of knowledge and traditions through continuous academic
engagement with cultural heritage, including new forms involving digital technologies. They will
continue to protect heritage through their responsibility for historical buildings, and be places of
experimentation with new architecture.

Universities will be active in cultural debates, providing evidence to demonstrate the changing nature
of culture, giving new interpretations to cultural heritage and acting as a window to different kinds of
culture. They will promote the study and knowledge of culture and language diversity within Europe
and beyond and will continue to be places where people from different cultural backgrounds meet,
exchange and collaborate. As such, they will foster mutual understanding and the development of
intercultural competences, a vital contribution in a world where local and global realities converge
through the increased use of digital technologies.

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Universities without walls a vision for 2030

TURNING THIS VISION INTO REALITY

Universities are created to tackle the unknown. While their future cannot be planned, the tools they
have at their disposal to meet the future can be improved. In order to thrive, universities need the right
framework conditions: academic freedom, institutional autonomy, sufficient and sustainable funding
and efficient support for collaboration.
Europe has different university traditions and unites institutions with different profiles. Differentiation
and institutional profiling are key features of the European university landscape and represent a unique
strength, also in serving society.
European universities are characterised by collaboration. While universities across Europe compete
for resources, they are cooperating on different levels to advance all their missions. They form diverse
alliances and partnerships with different scopes in order to develop and enhance all their missions
and ensure that excellence in learning and teaching, research, innovation and culture are present in all
parts of the continent.
To face the challenges of this decade and drive positive change, it is critical that Europe’s universities
are equipped to make decisions in line with their institutional profiles about the paths they want
to pursue in order to best fulfil their missions in service to society. Europe is and remains a place
of diversity, which means that universities across the continent work in different contexts and have
different points of departure. For some, the messages below are a call to enhance structures already
in place, for others they offer inspiration for new initiatives.

Factors for success

Making this vision a reality will depend on three factors: enabling frameworks, adequate investments
and strong leadership.

ENABLING FRAMEWORKS

Regulatory and funding frameworks at the relevant regional, national and European level must:
• strengthen and protect university autonomy in its various dimensions, enabling institutions to
make strategic decisions;
• aim at supporting universities in their continuous development. They must go beyond control
and compliance. This includes enabling interdisciplinarity, flexible learning and career paths,
and exchange and cooperation in research and education. The diverse profiles and strategies of
individual universities should be the basis for this support;
• include clear and consistent provisions guaranteeing scholars and students the rights that
constitute academic freedom;
• consider the needs of Open Science, for example in copyright and data protection regulation;
• build bridges, safeguarding the diversity of institutional profiles, not levelling it out;

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 • support transnational collaboration among Europe’s universities by considering the impact of
regulation in areas such as copyright, data protection, taxation and international immigration
and mobility, as well as the transferability of pensions of mobile researchers.
The multilateral frameworks in Europe through the Bologna Process and the European Union provide a
unique opportunity to work together across borders. These need to be further developed in the future.
The goal of these frameworks must not be harmonisation but building a system that is united in its
diversity.

ADEQUATE INVESTMENTS

Across Europe, more investments are needed in research, education and innovation in order to meet the
challenges of the new decade and contribute to Europe’s ability to access and develop new knowledge
and key technologies.
• Public authorities must allocate core public funding that corresponds to the growing
responsibilities of universities. There must be a balance between core block grant funding and
competitive funding.
• Financial autonomy must be strengthened to enable the university to take strategic decisions and
foster institutional profiling. This must also include the possibility to diversify income sources.
• In order to meet the challenges of this decade, additional investments in infrastructure will be
crucial. This includes both physical and digital infrastructure, so that universities, students and
society at large can fully benefit from both forms of interaction.
• Investment in people, both in academic and professional staff and their development, will be
essential to support transformation and address challenges.
• Funding programmes need to provide flexibility for universities to build bridges between different
disciplines and strike a good balance between curiosity-driven and challenge-based research.
• Financial incentives and regulatory flexibility should enable universities to increase cooperation.
• European funding programmes are very important for European collaboration, but they must
operate in addition to sufficient national public funding.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

Universities need strong leadership to take universities into the future. This entails the capacity to
shape the institutional profile, articulate goals for the institution as a whole and make strategic
choices for implementation.
• Institutional leadership needs to be inclusive and transparent in its decision-making and be part
of the institutional accountability setting.
• Current and future leaders must have support for the development of their leadership skills and
transformation capacities.
• The professionalisation of staff in all areas of university management is essential in the
implementation of the institutional strategy and needs to be supported and part of institutional
development plans.

Priorities for action

Reaching out to society at large and opening up for co-creation will be a continuous ambition for
universities in this decade. Many initiatives will facilitate this, and the list of priorities for action
is open-ended. The list below demonstrates three key areas where Europe’s universities see major
potential for moving forward in increasing their societal engagement and contributing to sustainable
development.

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Universities without walls a vision for 2030

To fully realise this vision of universities without walls, a coordinated approach and ownership among
the main stakeholders are needed. These include university leadership, students and staff, funders
and policy makers.

REFORM ACADEMIC CAREERS

This vision for Europe’s universities in 2030 requires a reform of academic careers. This should be
acknowledged and supported by all stakeholders through the following actions:
• using a broader set of evaluation practices for academic careers, which include a wide definition
of impact, beyond traditional bibliometric indicators;
• promoting further parity of esteem between different career paths, including parity of esteem
between research and teaching;
• enabling and valorising Open Science in career and research assessment;
• incentivising activities with different forms of impact, including innovation or citizen science,
dissemination, supervision and mentoring, while retaining the core goal of research activities,
which is the expansion of human knowledge;
• making academic careers less precarious and more attractive as life choices in order to develop
and retain talent;
• providing more flexibility for academic careers. It must be easier to switch jobs between academia
and other sectors, such as start-ups, industry or public administration. Researchers with job
experience outside academia must have access to university careers.

PROMOTE INTERDISCIPLINARITY

Interdisciplinary approaches must be better used for meeting societal challenges across university
missions. While disciplines must remain important in order to organise and expand the knowledge
production at universities, interdisciplinary approaches must be promoted by:
• recognising interdisciplinary engagement in academic assessment and reward schemes;
• implementing institutional accreditation to complement discipline-based programme
accreditation and facilitate interdisciplinary learning;
• making interdisciplinary teaching part of the professional development of academic staff and
supporting academic staff from different disciplines in working together.

STRENGTHEN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

As pluralistic societies come under threat, universities must support civic values through active
engagement. They can do this by:
• supporting the members of the academic community in using their academic freedom to
contribute to public debates, encouraging open and evidence-based discussions, countering
misinformation and falsehoods and explaining the lack of finality in scientific judgements;
• promoting opportunities for learners to actively engage in societal projects and debates that build
bridges and foster understanding throughout society;
• promoting civic engagement across the university missions, developing participation, respect for
diversity and open debate as a common value across the institution;
• providing a continuous reflection on European identity and culture, as well as their contribution
to a global world.

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The European University Association (EUA) is the representative organisation
of universities and national rectors’ conferences in 48 European countries. EUA
plays a crucial role in the Bologna Process and in influencing EU policies on higher
education, research and innovation. Thanks to its interaction with a range of other
European and international organisations, EUA ensures that the voice of European
universities is heard wherever decisions are being taken that will impact their
activities.
The Association provides unique expertise in higher education and research as
well as a forum for exchange of ideas and good practice among universities. The
results of EUA’s work are made available to members and stakeholders through
conferences, seminars, websites and publications.

EUROPEAN Avenue de l’Yser, 24 T: +32 2 230 55 44

UNIVERSITY 1040 Brussels info@eua.eu
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